A collection of short stories, articles, and poems intended to entertain, inform, and consider.

Friday, October 31, 2014

THERE'S GOLD IN OUR GARBAGE BINS

There's gold in our garbage bins. There has to be. Almost every late evening and early morning there are people scavenging through the building's outside garbage bins. And I don't think they are poor because the vehicles they drive are new, the gold they wear around their necks and on their fingers and wrists are quite shiny, and their clothes are neither torn nor tattered.When I hear them going through the garbage I look out my window and watch as they dig through the dog feces, the dirty diapers, the rotten remains of our meals, the cigarette butts, and countless other dirty disgusting things, and wonder what possesses a person to do it. What can you possibly get from the garbage that is worth getting sick or hurt over? Especially nowadays when we are all so careful of what we throw out. I mean, if we don't want something we put it in a pile and save it for a garage sale, or we put it on Kijiji or Craig's List. Nothing of value ever gets thrown in the garbage anymore. And do these people even care about their health and safety? We live in a First World country, a highly developed industrialized nation. We have various resources for anyone and everyone. We have welfare, healthcare, shelters, soup kitchens. Now, I'm not gullible, I know poverty exists, but going through the garbage when you're wearing gold, driving a new car, and wearing nice clothes just doesn't make sense.And the recycle bins are untouched. Mind you, recycling is mandatory so you’re not going to get anything for cans and bottles unless they are liquor cans and bottles. But, for the most part, people who drink usually take their own cans and bottles back to the store.So why do people go through the garbage? Is it identity theft? Maybe. They won’t get my info – I’m a shredder. With the hullabaloo about identity theft, I think a lot of people shred. Is it for clothes? In this community, we give to the Salvation Army or Value Village; our used clothing gets reused.Is it for metal? Metal is usually piled up alongside the garbage bins for scrap guys who collect such items. Is it for food? There are places to get a free meal and food banks. Wouldn’t a person go their first? Instead of eating something that could make them seriously ill?So, why do these people go through our garbage? Because "dere's gold in dem dere bins!"